


Saving Our Savior

by retrograde_marmalade



Category: Rune Factory (Video Games), Rune Factory 4
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Fantasy, M/M, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27142573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/retrograde_marmalade/pseuds/retrograde_marmalade
Summary: "So... what you're saying..." Leon managed to say through gritted teeth, "... is that Frey has become a Guardian?"An attempted theft of the Rune Sphere in Leon Karnak has resulted in Frey's imprisonment in the tower as an unintentional fifth Guardian. They have the Rune Sphere, so all they have to do is save Frey and put it back where it belongs. But how do they defeat the strongest monster Norad has ever known?Leon is not sure, but he won't rest until he saves her. No matter what, he will bring her home.- - - - - -A multi-chapter fic that will eventually include the Earthmates from the other main Rune Factory titles.
Relationships: Doug/Dylas (Rune Factory), Frey/Leon (Rune Factory)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter One

It was probably the last warm day that they were going to have that Summer, Frey thought to herself. The sparse grass that grew thinner and taller as Frey and Kiel approached Leon Karnak was brown and dry beneath their feet, crunching as the two approached the tower. The ground was cracked and parched, begging for rain. Frey looked down and watched the clouds of dust that puffed with each step that she took.

“It sure is hot today,” Kiel observed, tugging at the collar of his shirt and looking up at the sky. He shifted the bag he was carrying on his shoulder, empty jars and pens clacking and clunking within it. Frey nodded in agreement, smiling at her companion.

“You sure aren’t dressed for it.” Kiel laughed and shrugged. “You won’t get sunburnt, though.”

“That’s true,” Kiel replied. “Maybe that’s why Forte insisted. ‘It gets much colder by the Tower,’” he said in a stern impression of his sister, causing Frey to laugh. “She just doesn’t want me to get sunburnt.”

“It’s nice that she worries about you,” Frey said good naturedly. “So long as you don’t get heatstroke.”

It was in this casual manner that the pair found themselves at the foot of Leon Karnak, its canine guardians hidden by the clouds that always obscured the majority of the tower. Frey placed a hand against the tower’s stone exterior, thinking about to that day all those years ago that she first came here to rescue Leon. To rescue everyone.

“Maybe we should’ve brought Leon,” Kiel wondered, seemingly reading Frey’s thoughts. “He probably knows the terrain better than we do.”

“I dunno, he was asleep for all of that time, after all,” Frey responded, walking along the bottom of the tower while dragging her gloved fingers across the stone. “What are we looking for exactly?”

“I took a whole bunch of samples back when… y’know, back when everything happened,” Kiel said. “I want to compare samples from then and now to see how the land has changed since all of the runes have been restored to the area.”

Frey nodded. Being an Earthmate, she could tell the difference as soon as she came closer to the tower. There was a tangible difference all over town, but it was an especially strong feeling surrounding the four rune spots. Plants and minerals alike seemed to buzz with energy and it was like Frey could _hear_ the runes that were restored to the land. 

The two of them began gathering the samples that Kiel was looking for, at his direction. He wanted dirt, clay, vegetation, mineral, rock… basically, whatever they could get their hands on. He even said something about samples from the monsters in the area, but the look on Frey’s face had him abandoning that idea pretty quickly. The monsters in that area were strong, much stronger than anything Kiel had faced before. Though Frey could easily make her way through the tower and gather samples herself, that would leave Kiel here unprotected, and she did not want to have to face the monsters while simultaneously guarding her partner. Since her final battle to save Venti, she did not want to put any of her friends in harms way for any unnecessary reason again. Kiel seemed to understand, and he did not bring it up again.

“Hey, would we be able to go inside the tower?” Kiel asked, earning a guarded look from Frey. “Not if it’s dangerous! I’d just like to get a sample from right where the rune sphere is placed to compare.”

“Well… I don’t think that any monsters should appear,” Frey said slowly, considering the idea. Since guards were stationed where each of the rune spheres were placed, the spirit monsters of the former guardians no longer appeared unless Frey specifically requested it. It was a generally guarded and safe area where they would not have to worry about any monsters or gates appearing. “I guess it would be fine.”

“Great! Let’s go!”

Kiel took off toward the entrance of the tower, making his way down the steps before Frey could say another word. With a soft sigh she followed him, hands on the hilts of her swords as she descended into the tower.

It was dark, damp, and murky in the basement of the tower where Leon had rested for centuries. The only light came from the top of the staircase and the rune sphere, secured in the stones.

“Wow! I’d never seen one!” Kiel said brightly, kneeling close to the sphere.

“Don’t touch it, Kiel. We shouldn’t disturb it,” Frey said, very much on guard as she walked over to the sphere as well. Kiel pouted but nodded, moving over to an area further away from the stone and gently chipping away at one of the stones. As he gathered the stone fragments into a vial, Frey slowly looked around and observed their surroundings.

She looked down at the rune sphere, remembering all that she had gone through to get this stone here and save all of her friends. Its light blue glow always calmed here and filled her with a positive energy. However, this time, its light seemed cold. Almost artificial. 

Something was off. “Where are the guards…?” Frey murmured, slowly unsheathing one of her swords. “Kiel, were there any guards here when you first came down?”

“Huh?” Kiel corked the vial and shoved it into his bag, standing back up and turning to face the princess. “Now that you mention it, no…” 

There was the sound of a footstep and Frey whirled around, taking a long sidestep to place herself in front of Kiel. 

A blurry, transparent magic was wavering by the staircase, hidden in the shadows. Whatever spell was casted wore off before their eyes and they saw a man in Sechs armor standing there. The man cursed as two more soldiers came into view, the same magical camouflage slowly melting off their bodies. “Damn. Can’t your magic last for longer than five minutes?!”

“S-Sorry, I’ve never used it on more than one person before,” one of the other guards whimpered.

Frey glared as she looked between the three of them. To her horror, she saw that one of them was holding the rune sphere. 

“What?” Kiel gasped, turning to look at the rune sphere that was on the ground. Of course, why didn’t Frey realize right away? The rune sphere in the tower was a fake, embedded with magic but not the same as the rune energy that flowed from the stone being held by the soldiers on the other side of the room.

“We have an alliance with the Sechs. Why are you here?” Frey asked loudly, shifting so that she was covering Kiel as much as she could with her body. “You do realize what stealing that stone means, don’t you?”

“The Sechs have gotten too soft,” the solider standing in the front sneered. He tightened his grip on the stone and took a step toward Frey and Kiel, raising his voice. “We were such a strong nation, to be feared, until that embarrassment with the Earthmate and the dragon… If we bring this stone home and demonstrate its power, then we’ll remember how we were… what it was we were seeking!”

Frey had heard from Arthur that a few bands of Ethelberd sympathizers had been stirring up trouble throughout Norad in the past few years, though they were the minority and generally shunned by the rest of the Sechs empire. It appeared that these three were such outcasts, taking their final grasps toward the power that Ethelberd was trying to achieve. Frey shook her head. These men were beyond reasoning, then.

“Kiel, use your Escape magic and get out of here,” Frey said in a low voice, taking a step toward the soldiers. Kiel reached forward and grabbed the back of Frey’s clothes.

“But-“

“Kiel!” Frey yelled, pulling from his grasp and running toward the soldiers.

Three on one wasn’t great, but Frey felt fairly confident that she could take them on. The two soldiers standing in the back immediately came to guard the man holding the stone, holding their weapons out in front of them. The leftmost solider was wielding a spear, and the other a broadsword. Frey easily lashed out with her right sword and broke the one soldier’s spear in half, rendering it useless. But she soon found herself being lunged toward by the other man and quickly leapt back, guarding herself.

“Frey, the stone!” Kiel yelled, and Frey noticed the man holding the stone running up the staircase and out of the tower.

“Shit.” Frey grew impatient, propelling a burst of light magic that knocked both of the remaining soldiers off their feet and onto the ground, unconscious. She and Kiel ran toward the staircase, reaching the bottom of it just in time to see the solider running away from the entrance of the tower. 

The two of them began running up the stairs, but the ground beneath them began to shift. Stumbling and clawing, they grabbed at the stairs and the wall and scrambling their way to the entrance.

The tower was swaying slightly, the ground shaking and groaning beneath their feet. The trembling grew in intensity as the man holding the stone ran further away. Frey shot a fireball toward the man and sighed in relief when it made contact, knocking the man off his feet. She began running toward him when the earthquake became too strong, knocking her and Kiel over as well.

“What’s happening?!” Kiel shouted over the cracking and shaking, struggling to get to his feet.

“It’s too unstable without the sphere,” Frey yelled, looking around frantically. She could feel a rush of rune energy coming from the air and the ground around them to fill the void left by the rune sphere. “Kiel, go!”

“I- I can’t!” Kiel couldn’t regain his balance and Frey gritted her teeth, desperately trying to think of what to do. The shaking was terrible and she could hardly think straight. She knew that they needed to regain the rune sphere, which looked like it had fallen from the man’s grasp and had fallen off the edge of the cliff on which Leon Karnak resided. It was probably somewhere at the summit, safe from enemy hands from now. So they just needed to Escape, and- “Frey, my Escape magic isn’t working!”

“What?!” Frey looked at him in horror and saw that he was trying to summon his rune energy but was unsuccessful, looking back at her with fear in his eyes. “How?!”

“One of the other soldiers hit me with a spell on our way up the stairs. I think I’ve been sealed,” Kiel cried, desperately trying to summon some kind of magic but failing. Frey desperately tried to think of a solution. “What do I do?!”

They had no time left to think. Kiel was too far away for Frey to grab him and Escape with him. The soldier was still there, though unconscious, and couldn’t be left alone with the rune sphere. And she couldn’t leave Kiel here alone.  
With a deep, shuddering breathing, Frey faced Kiel again. He was staring at her with wide eyes. “Kiel, you need to go back to town and tell Venti about what’s happened. You need to get the rune sphere.”

“What?! Frey, I-“

“Just go!” 

Frey gathered as much rune energy as she could carefully control and pushing Kiel away in a gust of wind, controlling the stream so that he was carried over past the entrance to Leon Karnak instead of over the cliff’s edge. When she pushed him far enough away that she could hardly see him anymore, she turned her attention to the unconscious man who had caused this entire mess. The ground shaking and opening up to swallow her whole, she cast one last spell, pummeling the man with as much fire magic as she could manage before the earthquake overcame her.

And then she was taken by the ground.

-

Kiel slowly and uneasily stood up, bruised and battered. He looked toward the direction of Leon Karnak and saw with horror that half of the tower seemed to remain, leaning and unsteady. He looked around frantically, searching for Frey.

But he was alone. Even the Sechs solider was no where to be found. Kiel took a few shaky steps toward Leon Karnak, trembling with each movement even though the earth had stopped shaking beneath his feet. As he came closer to the tower, he saw that several of the boulders that lay at the perimeter of the area were cracked down the middle and a thin layer of dust covered everything in sight. Kiel coughed and felt his lungs ache with the effort.

The tower, as he’d seen from a distance, had sunk beneath the earth. The ground, somehow, was more level than Kiel had expected, though it was by no means an even terrain. It was rocky and uneven, but absent were the huge crevices and cracks that Kiel was anticipating seeing. He could only assume that the runes had heled the ground somewhat in their ever-constant attempt to bring balance and sustenance to the earth. The ground itself was buzzing with a strange energy that Kiel sometimes felt in some of the areas outside of town. Frey had once told him that the runes got “shaken up” sometimes, though he hadn’t understood what she’d meant.

“Frey,” Kiel remembered, looking around to catch sight of his pigtailed friend. He saw no sight of her nor their Sechs enemy. 

He walked over to the cliff where thought he had seen the rune sphere tumble and fall. Sure enough, when he got on his knees and peered over the edge he saw a faint blue glow among the sharp rocks that lay at the summit. He was willing to be that that was the rune sphere, out of reach but safe from harm- at least temporarily. He needed to go back to town and gather his friends so that they could safely retrieve it.

But first he had to find Frey. Sitting up again, he looked around from his companion. He and Frey had been frantically trying to get away from the tower, where the shaking seemed to be the most tremendous. But the entrance to the tower had sunk underground, as had much of the earth surrounding it. It was there that the damage was most evident; large cracks stretched from the new base of the tower, reaching out several meters. A few large pieces of stone that had fallen from the top of the tower now lay on the ground, and Kiel’s heart sunk as he saw such boulders laying cracked where he and Frey were laying. But he was sure that Frey had gotten away, had done _something_ -

“Kiel!”

Kiel turned and saw Forte, Volkanon, and Leon running toward him from the land bridge connecting Leon Karnak to the western Selphia Plain. Kiel stood up and watched as they came closer to him. They slowed down and took in the sight before them. Forte was on guard, her sword drawn.

“Good lord,” Volkanon muttered. He walked over closer to the tower while Leon and Forte approached Kiel.

“Kiel, are you okay? What happened?” Forte asked urgently, taking her free hand and placing it on Kiel’s shoulder. Kiel stammered and shook his head, unable to find the right words. “What happened?!”

“I-I… there were men from Sechs here, and… and the rune sphere,” Kiel put his hands on his head, looking around with wide eyes. He bunched his fingers in his hair. “The men are gone now, and the rune sphere fell off this cliff here, it’s right down there…”

Volkanon, who had approached while Kiel was attempting to explain the situation, ran over to the cliff and peered down. “He’s right! It’s right here at the bottom of the cliff. I can see it from here!”

Without another word Volkanon began climbing down the cliffside. By now, the group was used to Volkannon’s impulsivity and ability, so they were only slightly startled when he went to retrieve the stone on his own. Leon, who had not said a word since he arrived, was still slowly examining their surroundings. Frowning, he looked at Kiel.

“Where’s Frey? Wasn’t she with you?” Leon asked, and Kiel looked down. Leon’s eyes widened. “Kiel. Where’s Frey?”

“I-I… I don’t know,” Kiel whispered. Forte stiffened in surprise. “When the man took the stone, h-he-“

“What man?” Leon asked, looking around urgently once again. “Kiel, there’s no one here!”

“I don’t know what happened to him, either!” Kiel cried. “He and some other men took the stone and then there was this earthquake and then Frey took down the guy who took the stone a-and I couldn’t use magic to get away, so she used her magic to push me away a-and then… and now she’s gone and so is that man,” Kiel finished quietly, unable to meet Leon’s gaze.

“Gone?” Leon repeated. “What do you mean, gone? Did she use Escape magic to leave?”

“I don’t know,” Kiel said. “I think I passed out when she pushed me away from the tower.”

“If she’d used magic then we would have seen her, right?” Forte said, frowning. “She would have been back in town or we would have met her on our way here.”

“She never would have left Kiel her on his own,” Leon muttered, walking away and looking around. “She must have pursued the soldier. Where would they have gone?”

“The only way out of here is that bridge or off the cliff,” Forte argued. “There is no way we could have missed them. The earthquake was only a little while ago. They could not have gotten far.”

“You guys could feel it? The earthquake?” Kiel asked.

Forte nodded slowly. “It was only a tremor in town. A few travelers came running into the castle and told Lady Ventuswill that they saw the tower in Leon Karnak fall over. I remembered that you and Frey had plans to come here today, so we came rushing over to investigate.”

The two of them stood in silence while Leon continued searching the area for signs of Frey or their enemies. Kiel felt a rush of shame and looked at the ground. If he were stronger, he could have done something to help. Instead he just forced Frey to stay back to protect him, and now…

After fifteen minutes or so, Volkanon returned with the stone safely tucked under his arm. “I am unsure where to place this stone now. The tower is unsuitable for entry.”

“For now we should take the stone back to the castle,” Kiel said. “As long as the other rune spheres are at their rune spots, Ventuswill should be okay.”

“Okay, then,” Forte said. Seemingly satisfied that there was no immediate danger, she sheathed her sword. She turned to face Leon, a couple meters away. “Leon, we need to report back to Lady Ventuswill.”

“You go,” Leon called back. “We need to find the men who stole the stone.”

 _And Frey_ went unspoken, but the three understood. Leon wandered closer to the tower, though he’d already circled its ruined summit at least three times. “Leon…” Forte began. Leon turned and Forte opened her mouth to continue, but she was cut off by a loud screech from above.

All four of them looked up in surprise at the tower, now much shorter but still slightly hidden by the clouds. From the top of the tower, foggy and unclear, came a huge monster with gigantic, swooping wings. 

“W-What is that? A monster?” Forte unsheathed her sword again, looking up at the beast. “This kind of monster has never appeared in this area before.”

“No, the monsters in this area have been documented fully,” Volkanon agreed, frowning as he squinted up at the monster.

Leon looked up, confused. It was a gigantic bird with sharp talons and two long, ribbon-like feathers framing its face. It was a light, sea-foam green color. Leon could not make out any more details of it from that distance, but it came swooping down toward them. He sprinted away from the tower from which the bird descended to meet his friends, standing protectively in front of them. He gripped his spear in his hand and said, “Kiel, get out of here.”

“No, I can help-“

The phoenix landed in a huge crash, screeching and stretching its large wings. It was large, about the same size as Ventuswill, but slimmer. Its feathers were long and thin, sweeping against the ground. Leon could feel its tremendous power even from where they stood, on guard by the bridge. Its landing sent a gust of wind in their direction and they all lifted their arms to shield their faces from the dust and rocks that it sent flying their way.

“What is that?” Leon muttered, squinting and observing the beast. As they all watched, the feathers on its wings and tail began changing color; from a light green, the color slowly morphed into a yellow, then orange, then red.  
With a thunderous roar, the phoenix opened its mouth wide, a plume of smoke leaking out. Leon eyes widened and he turned to his friends. “We need to get out of here, it’s going to attack.”

“I can’t Escape,” Kiel said, backing toward the bridge. “I’ve been sealed.”

“We’ll go with you. Go!” Leon shouted, and the group began running toward the bridge. 

From behind them, the bird screeched as it unleashed a stream of flames from its mouth. The explosion barreled toward them at great speed and Leon could feel the heat on his back. Whirling around, he sent forth a burst of wind magic to push back the flames. Volkanon followed in suit, sending a hose of water toward the fire. The resulting collision was an explosion of steam and smoke. 

The four coughed and covered their eyes as they continued their retreat, not looking back as they finally reached the safety of Selphia Plain. Out of the monster’s vicinity, Leon finally turned to look at the remains of Leon Karnak.

He could see the distant shape of the phoenix circling the tower and could hear its echoed cries. Wordlessly, he turned back to his companions, who were coughing and struggling to catch their breath. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes, irritated by the smoke. What was that creature?

That was the least of Leon’s concerns, however, and he began observing their surroundings once again. A deep, uneasy feeling settled in his chest as he still saw no sign of Selphia’s princess and savior, nor the men who were supposed to have caused so much destruction.

Where was Frey?


	2. Chapter Two

The group walked through the town gate and immediately made their way to the castle. Forte turned to Kiel.

“Kiel, you should go see Dr. Jones,” she said, and Kiel nodded before Leon interrupted.

“He needs to explain the situation to Ventuswill first,” Leon said in a hard voice. Kiel blinked and nodded again. Forte frowned but did not argue further, and the group continued through the castle entrance.

Ventuswill, who had given the group her blessing to go and investigate Leon Karnak, was expecting them. She took in the sight of them and looked at each of them in turn, her eyes lingering on Kiel for a long time. Finally, she said, “Where is Frey?”

“We don’t know,” Leon said. “Can you feel her energy anywhere around here?”

“… No,” Ventuswill said at length. “My senses only extend just a little beyond the town, however. She was not in Leon Karnak?”

Suddenly her head snapped toward Volkanon, and before anyone could answer her question, she said, “You have a Rune Sphere.”

“Yes.” Volkanon approached his master and removed the stone from his cloak, raising it for her inspection. “It appears that rouge Sechs soldiers attempted to steal it.”

“What?! Tell me everything.”

And Kiel explained the situation to them, calmer and more thoroughly than the first time. He told them how he and Frey had descended into the tower and found the soldiers there, the stone already stolen. As soon as the man with the rune sphere had exited the tower, the earthquake started. With a shaky breath, Kiel shared how Frey had used precious time to push him out of harms way and to take down the Sechs soldier. “That was all I saw before I fell unconscious.”

“… are you okay, Kiel?” Clorica’s gentle voice came from the doorway leading to the butler’s chambers where she and Vishnal were standing at rapt attention. Kiel nodded and she smiled softly.

That taken care of, Leon turned back toward Ventuswill, who looked at Vishnal. “Please summon Arthur, Amber, Dolce, and Dylas.”

“We’re already here,” came a bright voice from the doorway.

The group turned and saw the three former Guardians walking through the doorway with expressions of great concern on each other their faces; well, expressions of concern that suited each of them individually. Amber was an open book, gnawing at her bottom lip. Dolce appeared to be glaring, but anyone who knew her could tell that she was worried by the way her eyes flitted all across the room, wringing her hands. And Dylas was the worst liar in the world and could do nothing to hide the hard set of his jaw and furrowed brow.

“We heard that everyone returned and came to hear the news,” Amber continued.

Ventuswill smiled and said, “Just Arthur, then.” Vishnal nodded once and ran out the door, bumping into the frame on his way out. “I will wait until Arthur arrives to explain the situation so I won’t have to repeat myself twice.”

While they waited, Leon’s eyes wandered over to the door to Frey’s chambers. He frowned. Maybe she was just in there, resting after the earthquake. She could have fallen right asleep and would wake up in the morning, frantic about having worried everyone so terribly. Or maybe she forgot about the whole thing and went outside to water her crops, not a care in the world. Just yesterday she was going on and on about all of the fall crops that she had just planted, excited to use all of her new equipment and see how these seeds, the descendants of plants she had cared for so desperately the year before, would flourish. The soil must have dried too quickly in the late-season heat and Frey was just back there, making sure her plants were cared for.

Leon could feel everyone’s eyes on him as he snapped back to attention, temporarily lost in his daydrea. Of course that wasn’t the case. Ventuswill had just said that Frey was nowhere within city limits. So she must be somewhere in Sechs territory or the plains, pursuing their enemies…  
It wasn’t long before Vishnal returned with Arthur, who immediately requested that the situation be explained to him in great detail. Vishnal must have filled him in on some of the details, as Arthur looked severely worried.

After Ventuswill recounted the morning’s events to the newcomers, they all sat in consideration of what to do next. Clorica had brought them all chairs from the dining hall and the group sat in a semi-circle around Ventuswill, who was looking up at the sky as she thought.

“I wonder why there was an earthquake,” Vishnal questioned. “The spheres had been stolen before, hadn’t they? Nothing like this happened back then.”

“It must be because it was just the one stone,” Kiel mused, holding his chin with a thoughtful expression. “Before, the Sechs took all the stones simultaneously, so the overall level of runes was balanced. Right when the earthquake hit, Frey said something about it being ‘too unstable.’ I didn’t understand her then, but now I think I know what she meant. Looking back, when the land started to lose its rune energy before, it was so gradual that it didn’t cause anything more than a few minor earthquakes.”

“That’s true. We never experienced earthquakes until about a century ago,” Ventuswill mused. She flicked her tail back and forth gently as she thought. “I remember hearing rumors from Alvarna years ago. They had sealed the Divine Dragon Fiersome beneath the ground. When his rune energy began leaking out, it caused several small earthquakes in the area.”

“The ground is full of runes, after all,” Kiel continued. “If there are too many, or too few, there’s bound to be a change. I think that as soon as the rune sphere was too far away from the tower, runes from the surrounding areas came pouring into the area to compensate and it caused the earthquake. What I don't really get is why they were all going toward the tower."

“The runes… were probably looking for a host,” Arthur said slowly, causing everyone to look at him in surprise. “The rune spheres were acting as a source for the rune energy for the area. That was where all the runes settled. And without somewhere to settle and flourish, the runes would just seep into the ground and dissipate. That’s why temporary solutions such as growing crops don’t work to fill an entire energy with runes. There needs to be a source of rune energy.”

At his words, Amber buried her face in her hands and stifled a sob. Dolce held Pico close to her, exchanging a look with Dylas. Clorica, Vishnal, and Volkanon looked at the three former guardians in confusion, not coming to the same conclusion from Arthur's words. But the prince looked gravely at Leon, whose head felt dizzy at the sudden realization.

“So… what you’re saying…” Leon managed to say through gritted teeth. “Is that Frey has become a Guardian?”

The three butlers gasped, Clorica covering her mouth and looking at Leon in horror. Ventuswill nodded gravely. "It would appear so."

“Don’t you need some sort of spell for that?” Dylas argued, standing abruptly. “I mean, before it needed to be a whole ritual. How could it just happen spontaneously like that?”

“All the spell does is summon a large amount of rune energy and put it into a host,” Ventuswill sighed, scratching her back with a long clawed foot. “If Kiel and Arthur’s theory is correct, then it sounds like the runes were doing that of their own accord.”

Leon could hardly believe what he was hearing. “No. There’s no way.”

"Nothing else makes sense," Kiel said, and Leon refused to look at him. Kiel faltered a bit at being ignored by his friend, but continued regardless. "She's missing. She wouldn't be gone for this long."

"There must be another reason."

“So you’re saying that now, hours later, Frey has still not returned? That she couldn’t handle one measly soldier on her own?” Arthur said, his voice harsher than usual. He was impatient with Leon. “Or that she was buried by the earthquake a died there without using her Escape magic?”

“ _No_ ,” Leon growled, glaring at the prince. “That is _not_ what I’m saying.”

“Then what? What is the alternative?” Arthur challenged, and Leon said nothing.

Ventuswill watched the exchange and rested her eyes on her oldest friend. In a gentle voice, she said, “I know that it is… painful to imagine. But it is the strongest theory that we have so far. Furthermore, I can… feel it, I think.”

When everyone gave her a questioning look, she continued. “There was a temporary… dip, I suppose you could say, in my energy for a moment when we felt the earthquake. I could feel that something was wrong. That must have been when the sphere was taken from the tower. Shortly after, I felt a brand new surge of rune energy rush into my body, even though the rune sphere was even further from Leon Karnak. I feel that this must be because a new host had taken root in the rune spot.”

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Forte slowly looked around the room before whispering, “Then… that monster we saw…”

Leon’s eyes widened as Kiel gasped beside him. “That was… Frey?”

“Her guardian form,” Leon said hoarsely, hardly believing the words even as they left his mouth. This was insane. Impossible. In his mind, he saw the graceful and ferocious bird as it landed on the ground with a terrible crash. And he could see the light green feathers, so close to the color of Frey’s hair. He felt sick to his stomach. 

“You saw it?” Ventuswill asked urgently, and Leon nodded numbly. “Well… that is good, I suppose.”

“Good? That’s _good_?” Leon repeated. “It’s _good_ that Frey has turned into a gigantic monster and is trapped in Leon Karnak?”

“You know that’s not what Ven’s saying,” Amber said gently, putting her small hand on his shoulder. “She means that at least we know exactly where Frey is and we know that we can save her.”

Leon laughed humorlessly. “Yeah, that’s great. All we need is an Earthmate to go and defeat Frey so that we can rescue her. Let’s just go ask our resident Earthmate for some help. Oh _wait_ -“

“Frey is hardly the only Earthmate in the country,” Arthur said, understanding of Leon’s frustration but equally irritated with the man’s difficult demeanor. “I happen to know a few of them myself.”

“Fantastic. Go and write to them, then,” Leon snapped, rising to his feet. “Let’s make Frey wait for two weeks so that you two can send letters back and forth until they finally decide to come and help us.”

He turned and stalked toward the door, ignoring Ventuswill’s and his friends' calls to return. “Leon, come back-“

“Just come find me when you’re ready to finally do something.”

Fuming, Leon made his way across the town square. He was filled with a hot, restless energy that he didn’t know what to do with. He knew that everything they were saying made perfect sense and that he was being difficult for no reason. Of course there wasn’t anything they could do right then. Even if one of then was an Earthmate, Frey was incredibly powerful even in her human form. As a Guardian, he couldn’t even behind to imagine how strong she would be. She would act with a monster’s rage, lashing out at everyone and everything. No one in town was strong enough to face her. In fact, they might not even be strong enough as a unit. Frey had defeated each Guardian on her own, after all. She defeated Ethelberd in this world and the next, clawing through the Forest of Beginnings to rescue a Divine Beast that could not save herself. 

“Leon! Wait!”

Leon froze at the sound of Kiel’s voice, not turning around to face his young friend who was running to meet him. He heard Kiel’s footsteps stop and pants as he stopped to catch his breath.

“Leon… I’m sorry. This is all my fault,” Kiel whispered. Leon couldn’t look at him. Truth be told, he was furious with Kiel. And it was even more frustrating that Leon knew his anger was misplaced and that it wasn’t Kiel’s fault that things happened the way that they did. “If I had been stronger or more careful, this wouldn’t have happened. I shouldn’t have asked Frey to go with me to Leon Karnak to begin with.”

“… it’s lucky you were there,” Leon said. “Or else the rune sphere would have been stolen.”

“That would have been better than this,” Kiel said, and Leon couldn’t argue with him. Truth be told, Leon would have traded a war for Frey’s safety in that moment. Again with his unreasonable ideas. “At least Frey would be safe.”

“Frey is safe,” Leon replied, turning to face Kiel for the first time that day. “We know where she is and we know how to save her. All we have to do now is wait.”

“… I know you’re angry with me,” Kiel said, still looking at the ground. “And I guess I know it’s not really my fault. I’m just mad at myself, too. I’m useless everywhere I go.”

“You’re not useless,” Leon said, taking a step forward and stiffly placing a hand on Kiel’s shoulder. “You’re the smartest person in town. Surely you can come up with some ideas on how we can save Frey, maybe do some research and find a spell we can use.”

Kiel slowly looked up at Leon and nodded, tears in his eyes. “Yeah… yeah, I can do that.”

He turned around and walked away toward the resident district where he lived without a word of goodbye, his hands shoved in his pockets. Leon wished he could follow and comfort his friend, but he just couldn’t summon the words nor the energy to do so.

-

The next day, Leon heard from Arthur that they had found the soldiers that were supposed to be on guard in Leon Karnak the morning before. Apparently the Sechs soldiers bribed them pretty handsomely for their absence. The guards had since been shipped to the capital and were awaiting trial, but their impending justice did nothing to soften Leon’s sour mood. If anything, he was angrier than before. So this all happened because a couple a men were too greedy to look more than a few feet in front of their faces.

He lay in bed for most of the day, staring at the ceiling. He kept waiting for Frey to burst through his door in that exhaustingly energetic manner that she had, declaring that he’d been grumpy long enough and that the two of them were going to go do something fun. And then she’d drag him to Porcoline’s, or to go fishing at the lake, or to help her with her chores or some task she’d been given, or just to go on a walk outside of town where it was quiet and Leon felt like he could breath.

Frey always knew exactly what he needed, but he couldn’t ask her right then. What could he do when it was his savior that needed saving, that was currently tormenting his mind and making it impossible to calm down?

Leon rolled over and stared out the window at the now setting sun. He’d spent the entire day laying in bed, it seemed. It had felt both like an eternity and just a couple of moments. He sighed deeply and sat up in his bed, rubbing the back of his head. He was hungry but he had no appetite. He was still in his sleep clothes. Numbly, he stood up and dressed. If he didn’t make at least one appearance, then Lin Fa and Xiao Pai would turn up at some point and torment him with questions and concern.

A few minutes later, he left his room and slowly began descending the stairs. At this time of the day, most of the town would be either at Porcoline’s or in the baths. He felt the need to get somewhere away from everyone else and began making his way toward the door of the inn.

“Leon…”

Leon sighed and stopped, closing his eyes. Lin Fa walked from around the front desk and came to stand in front of him. When he opened his eyes, he was just as sickened by the look of concern on her face as he’d thought he would be.

He was overcome with guilt at his gut reactions to everyone around him ever since yesterday’s incident. Everyone was kind, considerate, and absolutely suffocating.

But Lin Fa seemed to understand. She handed him a container, which Leon took from her with a questioning look. “Dinner. Go find somewhere quiet to eat, okay? I’ll keep the baths open late.”

Leon’s lip trembled at the overwhelming kindness of the gesture. He nodded slowly and put a hand on the innkeeper’s head, sighing heavily. “Thank you.”

Lin Fa smiled kindly and waved as he turned around to continue his retreat.

Leon opened the door and welcome the rush of cool air that greeted him. Looking up at the darkening sky, he began looking for a place where he could eat in peace.

-

Even at Dragon Lake, however, it seemed he could not escape observation.

Doug came sauntering over to him, his red hair glistening after what Leon assumed was a trip to Lin Fa’s baths. He came to a stop next to where Leon was sitting on the beach. Leon tried to send a telepathic message saying, ‘ _Don’t talk to me or I’ll kick your ass_ ,’ but his skills must have been rusty because Doug opened his big mouth anyways.

“How’s it going?” Doug asked casually, plopping down on the sand beside Leon. Leon stared at him blankly and Doug waved a hand. “Ya know… in general?”

“… Fantastic,” Leon responded, taking a bite of the fish that Lin Fa had prepared and looking back toward the water. “I’m having a great day.”

“That’s good! I thought you’d be depressed as hell after what happened with Fre- oh, you were being sarcastic,” Doug mumbled, his blush reaching the tips of his pointed ears as Leon glared at him. “Yikes, sorry.”

For a few blissful seconds, Doug was quiet again. Leon even had time to eat another bite before the dwarf started talking once more. “She’s gonna be okay, y’know.”

“I know.”

“You look worried, though.”

“I’m not worried.”

“You sure? Because usually you’ve got this, like, super condescending look on your face-“

“That’s a big word, well done.”

“- but since yesterday you actually look worried,” Doug finished, ignoring Leon’s quips. “I’ve never seen you like that before.”

“Why is everyone talking to me like that?” Leon snapped, losing his cool for the thousandth time. “What, am I that pitiful?”

“We just know how important Frey is to you,” Doug said, irritated. “There’s no need to be a jerk about it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Leon replied, growing frustratingly flustered when Doug rolled his eyes. Gods, was he that obvious? The two of them may not have been dating or anything of that nature, but they certainly did spend an enormous amount of time together. Perhaps he wasn’t as good at concealing his feelings as he thought he was. The thought irritated him even further.

Acting like both an asshole and a zombie since Frey’s departure probably wasn’t doing him any favors, either.

“Come on, man,” Doug grumbled, standing up and brushing off his pants. “Whatever, sorry I even tried.”

Leon watched Doug’s retreating back and sighed heavily, burying his face in his hands when he was once again alone. How many people would he have to apologize to once this whole ordeal was over? He could probably stomach it with Frey back with him, calming him down. At the moment, however, the thought of going door to door to apologize to everyone he’d snapped at so far was nauseating. 

He looked out across the lake, even irritated with the water because of how calm and serene it looked, as though it were audacious for there to be any form of peace in that moment.

 _’I’m being ridiculous_ ,’ Leon thought. ‘ _Getting so worked up…_ ’

The situation wasn’t exactly dire. They knew where Frey was and they knew how to save her, as he’d been repeating to himself over and over again for the past day and a half. It was just the thought of Frey, sacrificing her own safety for Kiel and for the town. Being swallowed by an earthquake and, before she could use magic to escape, being held captive by the runes and the land, forced to become a Guardian in a split second… How scared was she? Had she been hurt before her transformation? How was she feeling right now?

Leon was getting frustrated again. He’d told Frey over and over again to take him with her if she were ever going somewhere dangerous. Though Frey would hardly consider an area dangerous for her, Leon reasoned. She was the strongest person in the world.

And so he passed the night like that, staring at the water and fighting with himself as to whether or not he should be worried in the first place and if a bunch of well-worded notes would be enough to smooth things over with all of the villagers of Selphia that he’d offended so far.

-

The next morning, word came from Alvarna, another city in Norad, that an Earthmate would be arriving in Selphia in three days. And that he would be bringing some friends along with him.


	3. Chapter Three

After staying up most of the night, Leon slept in until the afternoon. When he opened the door to his room, he saw another container waiting at the threshold, this time vegetables and rice. The messy composition told him that this kindness was the work of Xiao Pai, further confirmed when he took a bite and found that half of the rice was undercooked. He made a mental note to thank her whenever he saw her.

Leaving the inn sometime in the afternoon, Leon set course for Porcoline’s so that he could bug Arthur for some busy work… or at least bug Arthur. Just something to keep his mind occupied. With a meal and sleep he had calmed down slightly and was at least able to regain some semblance of his usual demeaner. He was truthfully embarrassed by his behavior the day before; everyone was worried about Frey, so there was no reason for him to be so unreasonable.

With a cool head, he walked into Arthur’s office and found one of the victims of yesterday’s misery seated on the couch, surrounded by books and staring intently at one laying open in his lap. Kiel hadn’t noticed him walk in and Leon took a moment to look around. Arthur was, strangely, nowhere to be seen.

Leon took a seat on the couch opposite of Kiel, startling the younger man to attention. “Oh, Leon!”

“Good afternoon,” Leon greeted, reaching over the coffee table to take one of the books piled next to his friend. _Returning and Escape Magic_ , the cover said. Leon opened the book to the first page and began skimming its contents. “Find anything interesting?”

“… No. Well, kind of, but not really,” Kiel admitted, shifting in his seat. “I was reading about those earthquakes that happened fifteen or so years ago in Alvarna.”

“Where?”

“The city that Venti and I were talking about yesterday,” Kiel clarified. He nodded toward a stack of papers on the table which were titled _Geological Records_. “That’s kind of a dead end, though. We know what happened already, so we just need to figure out how to fix it.”

Leon hummed in agreement, flipping through the book in his hands. Return magic wasn’t going to help them out this time. As Kiel said, they knew where Frey was. They just needed to rescue her. He sighed and leaned back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling. “Maybe this is all simpler than it seems. If an Earthmate defeats her, then she should be able to return.”

“I’m worried,” Kiel began slowly. “What if it’s trickier because Frey herself is an Earthmate? I mean, it’s not like we really know how the whole thing works to begin with. What if there’s more to it than that?”

Leon frowned. He hadn’t considered that. Rune magic and Earthmates were not a science. All records existed were the result of chance and could not be thoroughly studied or cross examined because they simply did not have enough data. From what Leon understood, there were few Earthmates in existence, even fewer than there were in his time. 

“Kiel,” Leon said. Kiel looked up at him from his book curiously. “I’d like to apologize for yesterday. I was rather unreasonable.”

“Oh, it’s okay,” Kiel said brightly, returning to his reading. “Everyone knows how upset you are.”

“… I suppose I was a bit transparent,” Leon sighed. Kiel laughed. “I just know how it feels to become a Guardian. I was frustrated that that would happen to anyone against their will.”

“And because it’s Frey,” Kiel added. “She’s the one who’s been saving us all this time, you know? And she’s so strong. It’s scary to think that we’re the ones who have to save her this time around.”

Leon was surprised to hear Kiel voice the same thoughts he’d been having since yesterday morning. Leon nodded in agreement, closing his book and looking past Kiel to stare at nothing in particular. He did not want to admit it, but he was also frustrated because he’d felt helpless in every catastrophe that occurred- and there had been far too many for Leon’s liking- since he’d arrived in Selphia. He could do nothing for Ventuswill, nothing for the town… when the Sechs attacked, all he could do was pray for Frey’s victory and safe return. When Frey went to the Forest of Beginnings to rescue Ventuswill for the second time, she had refused to take him with her. Time and time again, their princess was putting her life on the line. And what could Leon do? Just pray for a safe resolution.

He’d always considered himself strong. But now, in the face of another disaster, he was left twiddling his thumbs while stronger and better warriors came to save the day. Even when the people he cared about were in danger, there was nothing he could do.

“You look upset,” Kiel noted, and Leon snapped back to reality. “Where does a priest go when he has something to confess?”

Leon burst out laughing at the sudden question. “To the gods, I suppose.”

“Mm. Venti’s probably napping,” Kiel mused, looking up at grinning. “Guess you’ll have to wait till later.”

“I suppose so,” Leon acquiesced, smiling back at his friend.

Glad that he had smoothed things over with at least one of his friends, the two of them spent the afternoon combing through the books in Arthur’s office to see if they could gather any information that would be useful to the Earthmate and in their upcoming battle. Kiel seemed keen on studying magic, as he always was, while Leon focused on texts detailing different great monsters that had been defeated over the years. Frey was not going to be an easy Guardian to defeat, he knew. He felt entirely unprepared at the prospect of fighting her in any capacity, let alone in an unhinged, beast-like form. 

When it was almost time for dinner and Kiel commented that they should take a break to get something to eat, Arthur walked into the office, looking tired and disheveled. When he saw his friends sitting there, he smiled wearily and came to take a set next to Kiel, displacing a few dusty tomes. “Good evening.”

“Where have you been off to all day?” Leon asked, and Arthur sighed, removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I have been speaking with Lady Ventuswill about our coming guests and what we will do moving forward,” Arthur replied. He put his glasses back on and took a book at random, opening it blindly and looking at the words without really reading them. Leon knew this was Arthur’s way of ‘resting’ his eyes and allowing his mind to wander. “And drafting a letter to my father detailing the situation.”

“Have you met the guy who’s coming?” Kiel asked curiously, and Arthur nodded.

“I have met Raguna twice before,” Arthur answered. “Once as a child and one a few years before I came to Selphia. He is a very kind and wise man. He will surely be of great help to us.”

“And he’s an Earthmate?” Kiel continued. “A strong one?”

“So I have heard,” Arthur replied with a chuckle. “Back in his day, he defeated the Divine Dragon Terrable in Kardia. He mostly travels around these days, but he can usually be reached there.” 

Terrable. Leon had only briefly heard of the Earth Dragon briefly during his priesthood, the beast’s significance lost and disregarded with Ventuswill herself serving as the town guardian. Ventuswill described them all as of equally strength, however, though not of similar temperaments. Terrable was rumored to be vicious and devastating in battle.

“Who is he bringing with him?” Another question from their curious young friend. Leon would usually make a comment, but he was curious as well. The two of them looked at the tired prince, who sighed but humored their question.

“One is an Earthmate named Kyle, who lives in Alvarna,” Arthur said. “The other is Micah, another Earthmate. He lives in Sharance. Both towns aren’t too far from here. Kardia isn’t too far, either, actually. Selphia is the heart of the land, after all.”

“Wow, three Earthmates,” Kiel breathed. “I have so many questions for them.”

“I can’t imagine,” Leon teased. “Do try to focus on the topic at hand.”

Kiel puffed his cheeks indignantly. “I know that.”

“All three are rather strong, so I hear. I met Kyle once but have never had the opportunity to visit Sharance,” Arthur said. “I’m looking forward to meeting them.”

A glimmer of hope. This Raguna had defeated an Elder Dragon himself, and the other two were Earthmates that earned Arthur’s admiration. Leon felt comforted by this knowledge enough to join his two friends for a meal in the restaurant, restless for the day when they could finally make their move.

The following morning he woke early to journey to Keeno lake to practice with his spear somewhere outside of town and was surprised to find Dylas already there, battle gloves equipped and breathing heavily as though he had been there for quite some time.

“… Wanna spar?” Dylas asked gruffly, clearly flustered at being discovered. Leon considered his fellow Guardian for a moment before nodding, dropping his bad and tying his hair back. “I’m out of practice.”

“As am I,” Leon replied, drawing his spear and approaching where Dylas had been practicing alone.

“We all rely on her too much.”

Leon was surprised to hear that from the stoic man and could clearly see the frustration painted across his face. Dylas was right. When was the last time he took the time to hone his skills? He really only got any practice when he went out of town with Frey, experienced only gained during battle. And yet Frey, who saw even more fighting than Leon, would find time every day to practice with her dual blades, hone her magic, or refine some of her other battle skills. He felt incredibly lazy at the thought and cursed himself for wasting precious time. Just yesterday he had been lamenting his lack of strength when it was his own fault for not putting forth the effort. 

“We do,” Leon agreed at length.

And so the next few days were filled with training, reading, or wandering outside of town. That evening Dolce approached Leon and insisted that he train with her as well, his generally quiet companions surprising him with their earnestness twice in one day. Dolce was exclusively a mage and so Leon’s magic was truly put to the test. Unlike him and Dylas, Dolce appeared to keep up with her training and she surprised him with the intensity of her skill, using high class magic that even he could not use. He learned a few spells from her, impressed by her affinity with all of the elements but particularly her dark magic. 

He even sparred with Forte the following morning, though that was mostly to calm his nerves through incessant teasing than to really get any practice. Truth be told, he was far stronger than the knight, so he did not have much to gain by practicing with her.   
However, knowing that he would need the help of all of his companions in the impending battle, it was good to get a feel for her skills and style.

-

Leon sat on top of a shipping crate by the airship port, lazily watching the clouds float by. Arthur told him the night before that the Earthmates would be arriving any time that morning, so Leon came to the port as soon as he’d woken up and had been waiting ever since. It was now approaching 9:00 and he was growing slightly impatient as he felt the morning sun beat down on his shoulders.

“Good morning.” Leon glanced over and saw Barrett walk over to stand beside him, leaning against the shipping crate. Leon did not know the other man all that well, but he often stayed at the inn while he was staying in Selphia and he had been very helpful in their quest to save Ventuswill. As a result, he had come to greatly respect the traveler, even if it was a little strange that he stayed in the town so often instead of spending time in his own city. “Waiting for someone?”

“Yeah, I- Oh, right!” Leon suddenly remembered Barrett’s explanation of Omni Gate and Return Magic. Barrett had said that he had used it to bring an Earthmate home from the Forest of Beginnings and seemed to be rather familiar with Earthmates in general. “One of the men coming today is your friend, aren’t they?”

“I suppose you would be involved,” Barrett remarked, crossing his arms. He looked up at Leon, a foot or so higher than him from where he was sitting on top of the crate. “Yeah, his name is Kyle. He should be helpful.”

“What’s he like?” Leon asked, and Barrett raised an eyebrow. “Earthmates are a rare breed, after all.”

Barrett stared ahead thoughtfully for a moment before looking back at Leon and responding, “He’s an annoying idiot.”

“Mm. We have one of those as well.”

“Yeah, working at the shop?”

Leon stifled his laughter at the immediate response. “That’s the one.”

They remained in a comfortable silence, watching the different merchants board and exit the airships that came and went from the port. Eventually Barrett asked, “You said ‘one of the men’ that were coming today. Have you reached out to other Earthmates?”

“Yeah. One is a man named Raguna and one is named Micah,” Leon replied. Barrett’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, prompting Leon to asked, “Do you know them?”

“I know of them” Barrett replied. “Kyle keeps in contact with them pretty regularly, at least with Micah. You sure have an interesting group coming your way.”

“Oh?”

“… You know how Earthmates are,” Barrett said.

Leon shrugged. “I only know Frey.”

“They’re all like that.”

Leon looked up at the sky again, processing the information. Frey, the most stubborn busybody that has ever graced the planet. Times three. All in the same room. “I’m tired already.”

Barrett chuckled and nodded, resuming the silence for a while. A while later, another traveler that Leon recognized but did not know by name came to stand at the port, crossing her arms and staring at the airships that were coming and going. When she did not move for ten minutes or so, Leon called out to her, “What, are you here to pick up an Earthmate, too?”

The woman turned and blinked at him. “… yes.”

“Which one?”

She tilted her head inquisitively. “Which one?” She repeated.

“Apparently we’re going to have a full house,” Barrett said. “You’re from Sharance, right? You must be here to meet Micah.”

The woman nodded again and then turned to face the port again, effectively removing herself from the conversation. Leon felt himself getting impatient, restless at the thought of all of these men coming to help them save Frey. In his mind, they would get off the ship, meet with Arthur for a brief moment, and then all head over to Leon Karnak to rescue their princess. They’d use their power to take her down easily, they would replace the rune sphere, and all would be well. The past five days would be forgotten and everything would go back to the way it was.

When it came close to 10:00 Arthur came to join them at the port, checking his pocket watch. “I’m surprised they’re not here yet.”

Barrett shrugged. “They all go at their own pace.” Leon frowned. This was an urgent situation. Surely they weren’t dragging their feet and taking their time. As that thought crossed his mind, Barrett straightened up and took a few steps toward the port. “There they are.”

Leon looked toward the port and saw two men step off of an airship, stretching their arms and chatting. An older man with brown hair made an extravagant motion with his arms and the younger man, with wild blonde hair, laughed pleasantly. Leon could tell that they were Earthmates right away; perhaps he had spent too much time with Frey, but he immediately noticed the way that the two men took in their surroundings and walked with light steps as though they were trying to respect the ground. Their faces were kind yet strong. 

“Barrett!” The brown haired man, who must have been Kyle, walked over to his friend and reached out to place both of his hands on his shoulders. “It’s been a while!”

“… Not really,” Barrett said blankly. “About a month.”

“Hmm, seems longer,” Kyle replied, smiling. Leon wondered if headbands were common fashion in Alvarna, as both men had their shaggy hair held back with one. Kyle looked up at Leon and extended his hand. “I’m Kyle.”

“Leon,” the priest replied, sliding off of the crate to take the Earthmate’s hand. A solid grip and a bright smile. Kyle began speaking with Arthur, who he addressed with similar familiarity and warmth even though they had only met briefly before. Leon wondered if all Earthmates were naturally friendly. 

Leon turned his attention to the other Earthmate, who was standing with the woman traveler and gently taking her hands in his. “How have you been, Raven?”

“I’ve been fine,” Raven replied, and Leon was surprised to see the stoic woman blush at Micah’s soft voice. “Sorry I’ve been away so long.”

“That’s alright,” Micah said brightly. “You’ve been really helpful to all of us back at home. It’d be nice if you came back more often, though.”

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” Leon cut in. “I take it you’re Micah?”

“Oh, yes! Hello,” Micah said with another smile, shaking Leon’s hand. “I’m sorry we’re a little late. We ran into some trouble back at Sharance. Raguna isn’t here yet?”

“No, not yet,” Arthur said, the three other men walking over to join them. “You are all welcome to go and wait in my office, if you’d like. I’m sure you’re quite tired.”

“Nah, I’d rather wait here and stretch my legs,” Kyle said, stretching his arms again. “My knees don’t like these airships. You have to sit for too long. My airship stop was before Micah's, so my ride was a couple hours longer. I'm gonna be paying for it all day.”

Barrett flinched slightly, glaring at his friend. “You make us sound so old.”

“We’re only kind of old,” Kyle clarified. “Hey, we’re the oldest ones in this group right now. Micah’s basically a toddler and these guys look about the same age, or _younger_ -“

“Here he goes,” Micah sighed, rolling his eyes. The man reminded Leon remarkably of Kiel, though he could tell that Micah had much more awareness than Kiel. “You’re going to make Raguna feel bad if you keep this up when he gets here.”

“He knows he’s old, it’s okay.”

“Where is he coming from, anyway?”

“Last I heard he was in Trampoli,” Kyle said, and the two chattered to themselves while Leon crossed his arms and sighed minutely, growing tired of waiting. 

Arthur straightened up, his expression turning more formal, and Leon turned his attention to the airship that just arrived in the port. He wasn’t used to Arthur putting on airs like this, and so he was caught slightly off guard. When he had spoken of Raguna before, it was with great respect, the same way that he spoke of his siblings or his father. Kyle saw the two of them and also looked at the airship, grinning when he saw the group of traveled exit the shit. “Oh, there he is!”

Raguna was certainly older than they were, his dark brown hair easily betraying a few grey streaks and tied back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. He was tall and had a strangely commanding presence; like Micah and Kyle, he walked with a careful purpose, and yet he had an air about him that implied great importance. He seemed stronger than the other two, built more like a warrior. As he came closer, Leon did notice a few wrinkles by his eyes and mouth, but otherwise had a relatively youthful complexion. Leon blinked and realized he had been staring, surprised at himself. He wasn’t usually one to stare at strangers.

“Arthur,” Raguna greeted him with a smile, shaking Arthur’s hand firmly. He saw Kyle and Micah and greeted them similarly. “It’s been a while.”

Raguna noticed Leon and bowed his head. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Raguna.”

“Leon,” Leon replied, shaking the older man’s hand. His hands were strong and calloused and hinted at decades of hard work. Looking at him up close, Raguna seemed to be approaching fifty, if not already so. It was impossible to not already respect the man after their brief meeting.

Raguna smiled and turned back to Arthur, adjusting the bag he had slung over his shoulder. “So! Let’s go figure this out, then.”

-

“Your city is lovely,” Micah said to Ventuswill when they were all seated in the Dragon Room of the castle. Clorica and Vishnal had prepared ahead of time and brought several couches and two tables into the room. There was plenty of room for all of them to sit comfortably while facing each other, also taking into considering Ventuswill’s ability to see and speak with each of them. 

Leon and Dylas sat on one bench, Dolce and Amber on another, Kiel and Arthur on the next, and Micah and Kyle on the last. Raguna sat in a chair next to Micah and Kyle and was reading a report given to him by Arthur detailing the situation and everything that they knew thus far.

“Thank you very much,” Ventuswill said with her frustrating ‘Divine Dragon’ voice that drove Leon crazy. “I’ve heard wonderful things about Sharance as well. I very much wish I could visit and see it for myself.”

Kyle kept glancing up at Ventuswill was seemed uneasy at sharing the room with the dragon, shifting in his seat. He seemed prepared to leap up at any moment. Leon was a bit bothered by the obvious distrust of his friend but knew that not all Native Dragons were as agreeable as Ventuswill. 

Micah, however, seemed entirely comfortable with Ventuswill, chatting with her as if they were old friends. “I actually brought some flowers from the Sharance Tree with me, if you’d like them. I know that you can’t leave the city, so I though you might like to see them.”

“Oh! Thank you!” Leon smiled at Ventuswill’s joy. She certainly loved flowers and, even more, being given gifts. She was so girly deep down. He was also surprised to see how quickly she dropped her guard with Micah. Perhaps it was something about Earthmates that made Ventuswill want to open up. “We’ll have to put them on display.”

Arthur smiled at the exchange but cleared his throat pointedly. “Now that we’re all here, shall we begin?”

“From what I understand,” Raguna said immediately, looking up from the report to address Arthur. “The Earthmate was transformed into a monster after this… rune sphere was removed from the area. And this rune sphere is what was supplying the area with runes.”

“That’s correct,” Arthur said. Raguna frowned thoughtfully and looked at Ventuswill.

“Why can’t your land supply runes for itself?” He asked. All of the residents of Selphia that were present in the room shifted uncomfortable, and he noticed the tangible change in atmosphere. “I suppose that isn’t important, is it? Forgive me.”

“No, it’s quite all right,” Ventuswill said with a sigh. “When I was born, my body was not strong enough to supply the land with the runes that it required to sustain itself. The Wind Dragon before me died far too young and I was born before the land was fully replenished with runes. It has been a cycle of… overdrawing the well, as it were.”

“And that’s why the Guardians were created,” Arthur said. “A temporary solution. The rune spheres were a permanent solution to this problem.”

Raguna nodded slowly. “Okay. So the rune sphere was taken from its spot, and the Earthmate-“

“Frey,” Leon interrupted, drawing eyes from all over the room. He cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed. “Her name is Frey.”

“Yes, Frey,” Raguna corrected himself, smiling apologetically. “Frey was turned into a Guardian, as you call it, to take its place as the source of runes for the land. And it’s not as simple as simply replacing the rune sphere because the rune spot has now been caved in after the earthquake and because Frey is now… a monster?”

“Yes,” Kiel said. “At least we’re pretty sure. We know all of the monsters in the area and we had never seen that bird monster before.”

“Well, that’s your expertise,” Raguna said to Micah, leaning back in his chair. “What do you think?”

Micah sighed and clasped his hands together, looking at his older friend with concern. “I’ve never heard of someone being turned into a monster against their will. This is a completely different situation. It seems like it was originally some sort of spell, right? To turn people into sort of miniature versions of Native Dragons to nourish the land with runes. And this spell could be undone when an Earthmate defeated the guardian, sending the monster vessel to the Forest of Beginnings and leaving the human behind.”

He sure put that together quickly. “What difference does it make if it was against her will?” Arthur inquired. “It seems as though the essence of it is the same.”

“Well… spells are easy,” Kyle said slowly. He leaned forward, speaking expressively with his hands. “It’s like tying a knot, right? If you know the steps you took to tie it, then you can reverse those steps to untie it, returning the string back to its original form, if not in a slightly different shape than before. But when magic occurs naturally, without a spell or caster… well, I’m not sure if there’s any way to undo it,” Kyle said.

Micah nodded gravely. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

Kiel and Arthur shared a look that told Leon they had privately discussed this possibility when Leon wasn’t present. Dolce’s jaw was set in a hard line and Amber clung to her arm, looking back and forth between Kyle and Micah. Dylas glared at the floor.

Leon looked between Kyle and Micah incredulously. “You can’t be serious. Frey is a human. Why would it be impossible for her to turn back into a human?”

“It might not be impossible,” Micah said quickly, holding up his hands defensively. “I’m worried that that is a possibility.”

“I think, worst case scenario, is that Frey might get sent to the Forest of Beginnings in her monster form,” Raguna said. He scratched the back of his head, looking uncomfortable with the startled looks he received from the Selphian residents. “To be honest, I don’t know too much about how rune energy works. These two know a hell of a lot more about it than I do. It just sounds to me like if she isn’t released from her monster form after being defeated then that’s the most likely outcome.”  
Micah sat in thoughtful silence while everyone took in Raguna’s words. “Well, if that were to happen then one of us could just call her back with Omni Gate.” 

“Gods, let’s not go that route if we can help it,” Kyle muttered, shivering at the thought. “No human should ever be sent to the Forest of Beginnings like that. It’s not a pleasant experience.”

The three Earthmates spoke amongst themselves for a few minutes, discussing the different possibilities. Leon, who had entered the conversation with an uncharacteristic level of optimism, was now feeling anxious again. The look in Kyle’s eyes when Micah suggested sending Frey back to the Forest of Beginnings told Leon that that should be their absolute final option. “I don’t know, I think it might just work if we can defeat her monster form,” Raguna was saying, looking at Micah. “It makes sense if that form is just a manifestation of the rune energy and she’s just… somewhere underneath.”

“Um,” Kiel spoke up suddenly. Everyone looked at him one at a time as they finished their trains of thought, waiting for him to continue. Nervously, he pulled a book out of his bag. “I did come across this spell, and I thought… well, maybe…”

He carried the book over to Kyle, who took it from him with a soft, “Thank you.” He opened up to the bookmarked page and read slowly. Micah leaned against Kyle’s arm to get a look at the book, scanning its contents. Kyle began reading with a thoughtful expression that slowly turned into a frown that deepened as he read further, his brow furrowing in confusion. Micah’s eyes widened as he read, muttering under his breath. When the two finished reading they handed the book to Raguna.

When Raguna finished reading the book, he closed it and turned to his companions. “What do you think?”

“I’ve never heard of anything like this,” Kyle said. He looked at Kiel who was nervously wringing his hands. “Where did you find this book?”

“It’s mine,” Arthur said, raising a hand. “It was sold to me by a merchant a few years ago. I hadn’t gotten around to reading it yet.”

“I can’t believe you got your hands on it,” Kyle responded with a laugh, shaking his head. “Most magic like this has been sealed away in fragments like Omni Gate.”

Kiel’s eyes lit up hopefully. “Do you think it’ll be useful?”

“It could be,” Kyle said. “I’ll go take this to Barrett right now, if that’s okay with you guys. I’d like to ask his opinion.”

Everyone nodded and he left without another word. Leon looked at Vishnal, standing off to the side with Volkanon and Clorica. “Can you help him find the inn?”

Vishnal jumped to attention and nodded eagerly, racing out the door after Kyle. Leon looked at Kiel. “What is the spell that they’re getting so worked up over?”

“Well… it seems to be a transformation spell. Except, like, the opposite of one.”

“What he means,” Micah said, noting Leon’s confused expression, “is that rather than joining two elements to create a new whole, this spell takes them apart. To be honest, it looks like a spell that was meant for people like me.”

“People like you?” 

“People who are half monster,” Micah clarified, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head when everyone gaped at him. “It’s a transformation spell, to put it simply. I can transform back and forth between my monster and human form. I’m not sure about using this spell in Frey’s case, however…”

“How does it work, exactly?” Arthur asked, and Micah tilted his head thoughtfully, staring at the table in front of him as he considered the question.

“Well, it’s not too detailed. I’m sure that’s why Kiel waited to bring it up.” Micah looked at Kiel, who nodded in agreement. “It _seems_ as though this spell works by sealing the monster half of a person and sending it back to the Forest of Beginnings.”

“How is that even possible?” Dolce spoke for the first time, frowning. She glanced at Pico, perched on the couch behind Dolce’s head. “How can you send half of a person to the Forest of Beginnings?”

“… I don’t know. That’s why I’m skeptical,” Micah responded. “What also worries me is how long this spell would take to cast. It would be impossible to perform during battle.”

“How long?” Leon asked.

“At least thirty seconds,” Kiel answered. Leon sighed heavily. He couldn’t imagine a situation where a monster would stay still and not attack for thirty seconds. “Not to mention it takes a huge amount of energy.”

“At least two people would need to cast the spell together. Maybe three,” Raguna said, looking at Micah. “I guess it’s good that we all came, isn’t it?”

Ventuswill’s tail swished back and forth while she considered everything being said. “I don’t suppose that anyone other than an Earthmate could cast this spell.”

“Of course not,” Kiel replied. He gave a hesitant smile. “Seems like they keep all the cool magic to themselves.”

“I don’t know if I’d call this a _cool_ spell.”

Barrett and Kyle returned, the former carefully reading the book that Kiel had brought to their attention. Kyle returned to his seat next to Micah, grinning at his younger friend. “Barrett’s a genius when it comes to this stuff.”

“Your children are better than I am,” Barrett said, glancing up at Kyle for a moment before returning his eyes to the page. “You should’ve brought them with you.”

“They’re 12 years old,” Kyle laughed.

“Strong enough to bring you back from the Forest of Beginnings all on their own,” Barrett pointed out. “And take down a Native Dragon.”

Kyle’s expression turned serious and he gave Barrett a look that was as close to a glare as Leon thought the man was capable of making. “I’m not going to put them in danger again.”

Barrett nodded, acquiescing. “My apologies.”

He closed the book and looked around the room to see every pair of eyes on him. He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know if this’ll work. Honestly, we wont know until we try, because we don’t know what happened.”

“So basically we need a plan A, plan B, and plan C,” Amber said, looking at Kiel for approval. Kiel nodded encouragingly and so she continued. “We try this new spell and if it doesn’t work then we defeat Frey and hope she returns just like the rest of us. And if that doesn’t work, then we use Omni Gate.”

She looked around the room for everyone’s reactions. Dolce and Dylas exchanged a look but said nothing. The three Earthmates spoke quietly to each other.

Leon looked up at Ventuswill. “What do you think about all of this?”

“It is… very unclear what we are dealing with,” Ventuswill replied. “It would be easier if we knew exactly what happened. But we do not. Whenever we decide to take action, we cannot be certain how things will go. I think it is wise to have multiple plans of action, as Amber has said.”

“I think that it’s the best we can do with the information we have,” Raguna finally concluded. He clapped his hands on his knees and stood up, groaning quietly with the effort. “Let’s talk about the actual battle plan later, then.”

“Later?” Leon repeated, frowning. “Why not now?”

“I’m rather tired,” Raguna admitted with an apologetic smile. He looked between his companions. “I think we all are.”

“… Of course, forgive me. That was inconsiderate,” Leon said quietly, standing up as well. “I will show you to the inn so you can all get settled in.”

Raguna smiled and walked over, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Sounds like a plan.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I'm not sure how long this fic will end up being, but it will be relatively lengthy. I'm not the best at writing action scenes, so any feedback is more than welcome. I also might change the title; I actually hadn't given it any thought until just before I posted this! Also: I know that Seal doesn't prevent Escape, I just... ya know, plot.


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